Pakistan is expecting an imminent ground or air incursion from the Indian side following a deadly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam area, which claimed the lives of 26 people, mostly tourists, on April 22.
Pakistan's defence minister, who has been in controversy for his remarks threatening to launch nuclear missiles, said on Monday the country’s military is ready to face the mounting threats. “We have reinforced our forces because it is imminent now. So in that situation, some strategic decisions have to be taken, so those decisions have been taken,” Asif said.
According to Asif, Pakistan’s military has briefed the government about the possibility of an Indian attack. However, he did not provide further specifics regarding the intelligence underlying his assessment.
Also read: J&K govt shuts 48 tourist destinations after Pahalgam attack
However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has vowed to take serious action against the terror outfits, including their supporters in Pakistan.
“I say to the whole world, India will identify, trace, and punish every terrorist and their backers. We will pursue them to the ends of the Earth,” he stated. “Every effort will be made to ensure that justice is done,” Modi said while addressing a rally in the poll-bound state of Bihar.
While Pakistan has denied any involvement in the attack and called for a neutral probe to be headed by the international community, the Indian side has said some digital footprints and signatures point towards Pakistani involvement.
Both sides have since taken diplomatic measures, including the cancellation of trade, suspension of flight operations, and closure of airspaces, sending back diplomats to further downgrade the relations and, most importantly, putting two of the most important agreements, the Indus Water Treaty and the Shimla agreement, in abeyance after the Pahalgam attack.
As the days have passed by since April 22, the tensions on both sides of the border and LoC have not diffused.
Meanwhile, former caretaker chief minister (Pak) Punjab, Najam Sethi, on Monday's podcast with one of the senior journalists in India, said that any attack on Pakistan will be responded with equal force and “if Indian forces capture a portion of Pakistani land, “we will use the tactical nuclear weapons on our soil.”
Similar threats have been made by several Pakistani diplomats and their ministers over what has now been called the worst terror attack after 26/11.
Tensions over Kashmir have periodically led to flare-ups between India and Pakistan, both of which maintain significant troop deployments in the region.
While the war mongering has been going on from both sides, “the Pakistani establishment in particular is on the edge,” said Sethi.
Further, in a separate development, reports on Monday said that 7 to 8 Turkish C-130 Hercules transport planes have landed in Pakistan, reportedly filled with “Military and medical aid” in case of a possible military fallout over the Pahalgam attack.
The planes reportedly dodged the Iranian airspace and entered Pakistan on Monday evening. Although the international community has urged maximum restraint from both sides, as the conflict could lead to a potential “nuclear fallout,” which the world cannot afford.
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